Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...
Finally.
When my agency asked me to travel to Dallas for the first two weeks of December, I panicked. How was I possibly going to get ready for Christmas if I was in Texas? I mean, those two weeks immediately following Thanksgiving are prime holiday-shopping days. Never mind getting the house ready for family and friends.
So when my husband called me during the first week of my trip to ask if he and the girls could get a tree without me, I was thrilled. He also wanted to pull out all the decorations and put the girls to work getting the house holiday-ready. I envisioned coming home to a house with candles in the windows and lights on the front bushes, with a fully decorated tree set up in the living room, and wreaths and garlands hung on the doors and bannisters.
Wrong.
While they did get a tree, they left it in the driveway to "settle." Then it started raining and didn't stop for four days, so they were reluctant to bring it into the house. On the night before my return, they had a wicked ice-storm and that poor tree must have looked a little like Snow White encased in her crystal coffin. But they really wanted to set it up for me, so on the morning of my return, they dragged it into the house, icicles and all. By the time I got home that night, that tree was lying on its side in the middle of my living room, in a puddle of water.
The Christmas decorations had been pulled out of storage, but sat in neglected heaps on the window seat in the kitchen. Christmas cards were buried in piles of junk mail and bills. Mini-lights and strings of bulbs for the front bushes lay in a tangled mess in the back hallway. My husband and kids were so apologetic; things had been crazier than they'd anticipated, what with school concerts, play auditions, basketball games, etc. and the things they'd wanted to do for me...well, they just didn't get done. But it didn't matter to me. The fact that they'd tried--in spite of everything else they had going on--meant so much, and that was the best gift of all.
And on Saturday, we kicked butt on Christmas. We got the tree up and decorated, got the lights hung, visited the local nursery and selected several gorgeous wreaths and garlands, and decorated the house. On Sunday, the girls baked cookies while I tidied the house and wrapped all the gifts I'd ordered on-line while I was in Dallas. And, finally, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
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LOL Karen
Oh, that is so funny... and you are such a good sport!
We did some decorating last week, too, we put up the tree (artificial, so no ice, LOL) and some other deco, but it's kind of annoying because it's been up less than a week, and we're thinking we're going to have to take it all down before we go to CT next week, because the cats are already clued in that the ornaments are fun to knock off and play with.
The first year we had them, we had a real tree. It was a disaster. They were kittens, and wild at that (really, almost feral), and they literally destroyed it. By Christmas Day, the thing was so beat up it was bare in spots and all we had were some ornaments around the top where they couldn't reach.
The second year, we went to a fake tree, and we put it in the family room with us, where it was under watchful eye and they couldn't have their way with it. Success. We actually had a tree up through New Years.
This year, fake tree, but I couldn't fit it in the family room because of how I rearranged furniture this summer, and so back to the living room, where it looks prettiest anyway, in the bay window. The fake tree seems to garner less destruction, and the cats are also two years old, so it's not as crazy, but I suspect if we leave them alone with it for 4 days, we're likely to come home to busted ornaments, or a tree on it's side, which could be dangerous for them, too.
We could, of course, just get rid of the cats.
Nah.
Sam
False Tree here too
I had a huge awakening two years ago when I woke up and found my Christmas tree in the door way between the dining room and kitchen (it was in the living room before I went to bed). Someone let the cats out of the back room we had set up for them when the tree is up. They are only indoor cats so no way was I letting them out. So now I put my tree up a couple of days before Christmas and too a smaller false one. Sadly, I don't decorate as much as I used to. I just haven't gotten into it the last few years. Since its just the four of us, we only exchange one gift with each other and hubby and I don't exchange. Long story but we do get that one special thing for each of our kids that are now young adults and my daughter is the hardest to shop for, so picky!
Oh, wow! What a surprise to
Oh, wow! What a surprise to wake up and find the entire tree moved!! I hear you on the gift exchange; when the kids were small it was all about volume. We had tons of plastic flotsam floating around the house! It was crazy, especially since they'd only be interested for a week or so and then whatever it was would get tossed into a corner or a closet, and forgotten. So now they get one big gift that they really want, and the rest is stuff they need (clothes, mostly).
Oh, no! You can't get rid
Oh, no! You can't get rid of the kitties! One of my favorite Christmas pictures is of my kitten, Cassie, peeking out from the branches of our Christmas tree. She's been gone for a couple of years now, but I distinctly recall how much fun she had with that tree and all the pretty, dangling ornaments. I can definitely see us going with an artificial tree once the kids are gone...I've seen some that are so realistic that you'd have to touch it in order to tell it wasn't real!
Sad confession
I am afraid the stress of the holiday gets to me. I am the one who shops, wraps, mails, decorates and bakes.
It gets a little crazy.
Forget about my inner chid, I am tryin to embrace my outer crone.
Phyllis, I'm like you; I
Phyllis, I'm like you; I pretty much do it all. My parents, who are nearing 70, have finaly cut back on the shopping and decorating and baking, and I think it's been a huge relief for both of them. They're happy watching others take over the traditions.
Take a Jew and an Agnostic
and you end up with Chrannukah. At least, that's what we celebrate.
But speaking of trees...a few years ago, my sons and husband went out and cut down a fresh tree. Because it was pouring rain, they left it on top of the van until the next day. Then they brought it down and it still took a couple of hours before it was brought into the house.
As soon as the tree went up, the cats (we had three at the time) started flipping out. We'd never had problems with the cats and a tree (other than learning not to put glass ornaments on the bottom boughs). We kept chasing them away.
The day after the tree was put up (48 hours after it was cut) one of our cats suddenly started climbing the tree. My husband was closest so grabbed her out of it. As he pulled her out, he realized she had a squirrel in her mouth!
So now, he's running for the front door with the cat and I'm running to open it. He's trying to get Zoe to cough up the squirrel but I don't want the squirrel loose in the house either. Both Sox and Jimi Cheezsteak (our other cats) are following along too.
We get Zoe and the squirrel outdoors, slamming the door in the faces of the other two cats, and proceed to shake Zoe gently to get her to give up the squirrel. She finally does, and the squirrel heads up another tree.
Zoe is squirming to get down but we don't want her to chase the squirrel so we try to take her inside again. Except, we'd locked the front door behind us!
We rang the bell because our sons were in the basement but they didn't hear us. My husband finally had to go get the spare key from our neighbour.
But the clincher? In order to keep Zoe from struggling out of his arms, I'd pulled off my sweatshirt to wrap her in. So I'm standing outside, in the snow, in bra and barefoot with a cat in my arms while my husband gets our key. About that time, the UPS driver pulled up and asked me to sign for a package.
And my family wonders why I find Chanukkah so much more relaxing!
ani
Oh, Ani, that story is
Oh, Ani, that story is priceless!! I can picture it so clearly! If that's not a scene straight out of a romantic comedy, I don't know what is! What was the UPS driver's reaction? What was YOUR reaction?? Yikes!
Zoe
I had the cat pretty much huddled to my non existent bosom but she was yowling. The UPS driver didn't bat an eye. He just asked if he could leave the package on doorstep and I said yes.
My husband came around the corner, key in hand, in time to see the UPS truck leave. He looks at me, looks at the truck, and just shook his head.
As soon as we let Zoe down inside, she took off for the tree again. I guess she was hoping she'd find another squirrel!
I now make my husband check the tree carefully for any hangers on!
a
Ani--Where was this story
Ani--Where was this story when I asked about sitcom moments in your life? Because that is a definite sitcom moment. I'm trying so hard not to laugh in front of my students right now. What a great story!
Jeannie
Wow!
You are a great sport, Karen! And we don't have cats to add to our holiday madness! It can be zany enough with just the two-legged kids around ;) Our fake tree is up, and I even replaced the faulty light strand with one that works (although the new ones are LED and don't match the original strand--oh well!) No one's knocked the tree down yet, but there are still a few more days until Christmas... ;)
And I was finally able to pick up our Christmas cards this morning, so our work is cut out for us!
Karen--You are a great
Karen--You are a great sport. And it's so cool that your family had great intentions. Sometimes I think non-mom family members are able to let go of the this-has-to-get-done mentality better than the mom family member. Your house sounds lovely. I'm going to decorate this weekend.
I love all the cat stories. My tree is turning brown, even though it's outside in below freezing weather. This has never happened to me before. I don't think we'll have it up for long.
Jeannie
Yay Karen!
And I second Sam in a huge way - good for you for handling that so well! :)
I'm ... not exactly the same way but kinda. My finals were officially done at 11 pm on Saturday - I had a meeting/errand most of Sunday - but I set of the tree that night, and then made cookies last night. So - it's beginning to look like Christmas here too!
Of course, now that I'm "done" - I have more work than ever! This is not going as planned :P
Christmas
Good for you. It looks like you got er done! Thats the most important thing.
Oh what great stories
My husband read this over my shoulder and we were both laughing. Karen I'm glad it's looking like Christmas at your house.Sam we have had trees in the past decorated with all plastic ornaments on the lower branches. Sorry I can't remember who had the moving tree but I have had a few tipped trees. Ani all I can say is I wonder what the poor squirrel was thinking and also the UPS guy. Thanks for the great stories.